News from OUR ACTIVITIES
As a pioneering European-based initiative, WeRIn brings together 14 partners from 6 countries. Funded by the Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliance Program over a 3-year timeframe, WeRIn partners have plans to increase the inclusiveness of regional entrepreneurial ecosystems and the integration of women entrepreneurs by designing more inclusive academic and non-academic entrepreneurship education and support programs.
Considering that women constitute approximately 60% of higher education graduates, it is a pronounced problem that they are not adequately represented in start-ups. Despite increasing their participation in entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions, women still lag behind their male counterparts. Even if they have attended entrepreneurship education, women are less likely to pursue an active entrepreneurial career after graduation. Women entrepreneurs who embark on an entrepreneurial career are less integrated into the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem: few women participate in local incubation and acceleration programs, seek funding, and participate in regional venture networks.
ITU ARI Teknokent aims to impact the WeRin project by contributing to the work being done. Within three years after the completion of the project, the project partners expect to increase the participation of women in entrepreneurship education by 15% and their involvement in programs supporting entrepreneurship by 20%.
At ITU ARI Teknokent, we give importance to the participation of women in our ecosystem. 56% of the total personnel in the management team at ITU ARI Teknokent are women. as well as having many companies led by female Ph.D. students and women entrepreneurs. During the first research phase of the project phases, we collaborate with our women entrepreneurs to define good practices and analyze the entrepreneurs' needs, establish local and international think tanks, and prepare regional reports on the current state of gender inclusion.
In ITU ARI Teknokent, 30% of employees working for start-up companies are women. Female leaders have established 39 successful start-up companies in our ecosystem. As part of the WeRin research and discovery phase, we showcased successful female role model entrepreneurs already embedded in the Turkish regional ecosystem. By highlighting tenacious, ambitious, and resourceful female entrepreneur role models and sharing their realistic advice on how they are succeeding, despite existing barriers, we take a step toward strengthening female graduate entrepreneur inclusiveness. Some of these include Aslı Elif Tanuğur Samancı, the founder of Bee&You, who is working on producing propolis and royal jelly. Buryan Turan, the founder of Simularge INC. and Ph.D. student, is working to reduce manufacturing costs by 10% and positively impact the global economy and environment. Elif Güngör, ARKIM Chemical Substances Industry and Trade INC. founder, is working on clean-label food products. Miray Tayfun, the founder of Vivoo, is working on finding the proper nutrients that the body needs, and Zehra Cataltepe, the founder of TAZI AI, is investigating turning AI into technology. These are only some of the excellent examples of successful female leaders that we are learning and working with. We are proud to say there are many more.
You can find more information about our role models and the WeRin project here: link.
